Water coming in to passenger footwell

Gmac

Gmac

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Morning folks!
Not a great start to Saturday! Headed off in the car this morning, and about 2 minutes in to the drive and my daughter whose string in the passenger seat says there’s water coming down in to the footwell. I look over and there’s a small stream of liquid coming down from behind/below the glovebox area! Very obvious! So I dab my hand and have a taste and I’d say it’s water. Not 100%. We turned round and grabbed the other car.
So I’ve not done any diagnostics or delved further yet, will get a look this afternoon.
Any ideas??

now I should add that I’ve not washed the car nor has there been any rainfall. This is the first time water has appeared here. I’ve also not used the back window squirter.

where could this be coming from?
 
process of elimination.
no rain in the last few day. tick.
not been washed , tick.
no wiper useage, tick.

only leaves the heater matrix or connections to and from it, check your coolant header tank and see if its low on water.
 
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Although no rain or car washing make sure the the plug under the battery isn't blocked up, this is the common issue, if it is, clean out & remove the plugs cause it will help come winter also
 
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As nigel said , but i think you've allready checked the bungs before , maybe it was someone else.

is it passenger side outer by the door or inner by the central console?
either way worth just dropping the glove box and investigating for signs of water first as its the easiest.
It is not unheard of for the rear wiper hose to leak without use but unlikely.
 
Sometimes if the battery section is full of water it can overflow across to the ecu box side and fill the cabin on the driverside, but also can flow across the leftside and seeps in via the cabin filter void directly above the passenger footwell, more sow when cornering.
 
Charlie Farley said:
process of elimination.
no rain in the last few day. tick.
not been washed , tick.
no wiper useage, tick.

only leaves the heater matrix or connections to and from it, check your coolant header tank and see if its low on water.
Click to expand...
Yeh, thanks, will do. If it’s the heater matrix would the fluid not taste sweet like coolant? Ie it’s coolant coming in to footwell?
 
Charlie Farley said:
Sometimes if the battery section is full of water it can overflow across to the ecu box side and fill the cabin on the driverside, but also can flow across the leftside and seeps in via the cabin filter void directly above the passenger footwell, more sow when cornering.
Click to expand...
Will definitely check this. Funnily enough I changed the pollen filter there about 2 days ago. So will get back in and have a proper dig about.
 
Do you have a sunroof, although if no water in use that isn't the issue tbh.
 
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All that said, just get a torch and look down around the battery to see if it is damp or signs of water. in the area.
If the bungs were really blocked you will see residual water if it was leaking earlier this morning, if bone dry another box ticked.
 
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Just a process of elimination and it's not a very long list to be honest.:icon thumright:
 
The aircon matrix used to create quite a bit of condensation up there behind the glovebox. So might be that not draining too.
 
Well, had a look underneath the battery, all dry and the drain plug was nice and clear, so not that. The coolant was a bit low, so topped that up. But i think the reason for this is because I didn’t put enough in the other day when i dropped all the coolant and did a coolant change. Wonder if there was a wee build up somewhere from this and it’ll now have sorted itself? I’ve just taken the car out again for a 10 minute drive and nothing happened. Bit strange. Oh well, i’ll monitor it and see whats what over the next few days!
 
IMG 1576
 
I'd drop the glove box, a very easy 2 min job, and look for signs of water etc, run the car with the fan on cold , then on hot and watch for leaks.
 
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The only possible source for flowing water in the passenger front footwell is either from the heater matrix/hoses behind the dash or rear washer pipe.
you have eliminated all other possibilities.
Since the car was running that would suggest coolant system , otherwise if the car was off there would be no circulation to the matrix.
 
Charlie Farley said:
I'd drop the glove box, a very easy 2 min job, and look for signs of water etc, run the car with the fan on cold , then on hot and watch for leaks.
Click to expand...
So i did this… and you could see signs of water in the sound deadening, not much but definitely some, near where the footwell light is. So then, started the car and sat and watched for about 10 minutes, putting the heating from cold to hot and back to cold… no sign of any water coming from anywhere!! motors and levers all moving as you’d expect. A\c fan coming on too when needed. Very odd. I guess i can just leave the glove box off for a bit. It’ll happen again at some point tomorrow I’m sure. Maybe more load from driving and having a/c on triggers something… might try lifting the carpet there to see whats going on underneath. Want to rule out anything under there, ie joins in rear washer pipe perhaps.
 
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Thats all you can do chap, just keep ticking things off the list, it will be there somewhere. :thumbs up:
 
Gmac said:
I look over and there’s a small stream of liquid coming down from behind/below the glovebox area! Very obvious!
Click to expand...
I'd definitely say it's the heater matrix. The two pipes going to it are rather soft aluminium and they get bent and sometimes damaged when and if it was ever replaced in the past. In any case there is no other source since you've shown that the battery area is dry and the bung holes clear. The rear wash/wipe pipe that you've said you didn't use normally breaks, if it leaks under the carpet, since that's where a join is (and/or at the rear wipe itself), not behind and under the dash. You most likely will have to have the matrix out and then new replacement would be wise, since it may have another source of leaking in it. Do you get full hot heating? Does the leak smell of antifreeze? I presume you have tested the rear wash wipe in operation, just in case at the outside chance, there is a leak there further up?
 
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So 3 minute drive this morning… For orientation this the side of the centre console and is the foot blower…is this a heater matrix problem? Never had to fix/remove one. What’s involved? Can i do anything in the mean time to avoid water? Or just put a towel down..?
IMG 1577
 
check from the hose connection to the matrix which are lowest working upto the top of the bulkhead behind dashboard.
 
You could bypass the matrix at the bulkhead joints in the battery section.
Remove both top and bottom hose connections and fit a small section of pipe between the two Hoses , coolant will bypass matrix all together, ok for a short term fix .
 
Matrix replacement can be a pain on these cars sometimes, replaced mine a year or so ago, not too bad but fiddly and matrix units are easy to damage so don’t respond well to brute force.
 
Could just be a loose hose connection on the matrix , worth checking first .
 
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Thanks for the replies folks… lots of talk of hoses Rob, When i had a look underneath, after removing the glovebox, i could only see two lengths of hoses right up at the top running left to right, but no connections on them, and they are hard pipes. Which part is the actual matrix? I cant see any connections at all. Is it a case of pulling trim bits off around the centre console? Will have a look for an online guide for removal.
 
Okay, had a quick Look on YouTube, LHD tutorial, but i now know that the heater matrix is replaced from the right hand footwell. So this, I’m assuming, is where the pipes will be visible (Behind plastic cover). Need to see if the joints are leaking or of the matrix itself is leaking for some reason. Not sure how either would start leaking, but hey ho. Also will try hot air, I’m sure it was working. will need to price up a new replacement matrix too.
 
Gmac said:
Thanks for the replies folks… lots of talk of hoses Rob, When i had a look underneath, after removing the glovebox, i could only see two lengths of hoses right up at the top running left to right, but no connections on them, and they are hard pipes. Which part is the actual matrix? I cant see any connections at all. Is it a case of pulling trim bits off around the centre console? Will have a look for an online guide for removal.
Click to expand...
The hoses join hard lines at the bulkhead, and you really do not want to be having to replace those two pipes that go from the bulkhead to the matrix so be very carefull you dont damage them.
Hopefully it will be the matrix connections.
 
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Okay, yep, thanks. Taken the undertray off under the steering wheel, and then the small cover, held on by 2 6mm hex screws. And can see the matrix and the pipes..

Not really any evidence of leaks from the joins, maybe slight white bits from the top one where it bends to the lowest point…which could be dried coolant… but no other evidence below them. So perhaps the matrix itself..

I’ll try and run the car like this and see if i can see any leaks from this side!
IMG 1580
 
I have this one sitting in its box doing zippo, your welcome to it for the postage, its was sent out and missing the clamps and they replaced it .
free if any use to you.

you need to have the engine running really to see any leak , its not a really high pressure system in the b7 so without the pump running i doubt you will see any thing that easily.
IMG 7013FB
IMG 7014FB
 
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Thanks Rob, other than the fin damage, is it new? I’d probably have to source the o-rings and perhaps the sticky tape that seems to be put round the outside of the body of it.
 
I bought it new from GSF parts, it came just as it is, missing the tape and the o-rings.
I had words with them and they just sent me out a replacement and said keep the first one.
It is new from what i can see but I suspect someone else bought it by mistake , tried it , it was incorrect and they sent it back missing the small bits.

Anyway, yours if any use.
 
Gmac said:
So 3 minute drive this morning… For orientation this the side of the centre console and is the foot blower…is this a heater matrix problem? Never had to fix/remove one. What’s involved? Can i do anything in the mean time to avoid water? Or just put a towel down..?View attachment 268291
Click to expand...
just been looking at this pic again .
that water drip from the base of the center console looks to be running down from much higher up toward the blower unit under the dash.
 
may still be the top of those hard pipes at the bulkhead looking at the position.
Its way to high for the matrix to be leaking up there.
 
having seen you matrix install there would be fluid on the drivers side too and looks like little evidence of it in the pics.
 
Condensation build up from air con below the windscreen vents crossed my mind .
 
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